Pubdate: Wed, 04 May 2005
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2005 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Author: Matt Fagnani
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

MARIJUANA MYTHS CLOUD GOOD SENSE

Despite hard evidence to the contrary, some people want Alaskans to
believe that marijuana use is not bad for individuals. That marijuana
use is not harmful to society. That marijuana is not a gateway drug.
That marijuana users can easily cope with the 10-time increase in
potency by smoking less -- fewer joints.

Balderdash! These people are just plain wrong, which is why I applaud
the governor for his efforts to settle this issue once and for all. I
congratulate the Alaska legislators who continue to stand up for a
drug-free state. I say thank God for the strong majority of Alaska
voters who just say no to further legalizing this dangerous drug.

Alaskans have spoken with consistency three times over the past 15
years. Alaskans voted 54 percent to 46 percent in 1990 to
recriminalize marijuana after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that
residents had a constitutional right to possess a small amount of pot
in the privacy of their homes. Alaskans turned down an effort to
decriminalize marijuana in 2000 by a vote of 41 percent to 59 percent.
And last fall, Alaskans rejected an initiative to legalize marijuana
by a vote of 44.25 percent to 55.75 percent, despite a million-dollar
campaign by the pro-initiative group.

The governor's legislation, House Bill 96, is right in step with the
majority of Alaskans and rights a wrong that dates back to 1975 when
the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Alaskans' constitutional right of
privacy protects the personal possession and use of marijuana in the
home. The courts refined and revisited this decision several times
over three decades but never updated the basic facts. The most recent
ruling came in 2004 when the high court again reaffirmed the 1975
decision and allowed for possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana.
Four ounces equals about 360 very potent marijuana cigarettes, an
amount most Alaskans would consider more a "misuse" than a personal
use.

HB 96 includes findings that allow the courts to consider new and
up-to-date research and information when rendering the next decision
on marijuana.

I think I'm like most folks who assumed the courts use new information
each time a case is heard. Not so. The major court rulings on this
issue are all based on decades-old information, even though the pot of
the flower-child era bears little resemblance to the maryjane you can
buy today. In fact, marijuana grown in Alaska has reached potency
levels of more than 10 percent THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol)
versus the 1 percent level it was in the 1960s. THC is the primary
psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Marijuana is Alaska's drug of choice, which is why we must get it
under control. Almost one-fifth of all Alaskans between the ages of 18
and 25 say they've used marijuana in the past month. Almost half of
all high school students in Alaska say they used marijuana at least
once, and one-third of all men arrested in Anchorage in 2003 tested
positive for marijuana, as did 27 percent of women.

In the workplace, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Marijuana users
have 55 percent more industrial accidents than nonusers and 85 percent
more injuries.

It is these statistics that keep me lobbying for effective marijuana
control. I'm the president of WorkSafe Inc., an Alaska drug testing
company. I am doing this as a good citizen, not a good businessman,
because the current situation is money in the bank. As long as there
is the perception that it is legal for Alaska workers to use
marijuana, companies will have no choice but to test their employees
for drugs.

Marijuana affects alertness, concentration, perception, coordination
and reaction times -- all critical skills in the workplace and the
reasons legislators and Gov. Frank Murkowski need to stay the course
and pass this legislation. A safer workplace is as important to the
future of Alaska as creating jobs.
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Matt Fagnani is president of WorkSafe Inc., and past chair of Alaskans
Against the Legalization of Marijuana and Hemp. 
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MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)